Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
It doesn’t take long for the cleanup crew to arrive.
They managed to avoid the roadblocks they confirmed were in place, keeping traffic from using the main road.
They came through one of the side roads the two cars that T-boned us used.
They also brought a couple of tow trucks with them to clear away the smashed cars and assured me they would dispose of the bodies.
They are going to make sure Cecil’s next of kin are notified of his death due to a car accident and secure his remains so they can mourn him whichever way they choose.
We finally make our way home in the combatants’ vehicle.
It’s a squeeze with all six of us, but Vienna perches on Tristan’s lap, fussing over Colton the whole way.
We bandaged the gash on Xavier’s arm, and I was right, it is going to need a couple of stitches, as is the cut over Colton’s eyebrow.
Sage drives us, careful not to attract the attention of an over enthusiastic cop.
It would not be good to get pulled over in the condition we’re all in.
There would be questions we don’t want to answer, not to mention the car is not ours.
The doctor is waiting for us when we return, and Suzy bustles the others off to get checked, leaving Sage and me alone.
“Ugh,” I groan, leaning against the counter. “Well, today went to shit.”
“Are you two okay? Should you see the doctor as well?” Ben asks, sounding concerned as he looks between us.
Sage waves him off. “A few bumps and bruises, but we came out the best. We were kind of sandwiched between the rest of them.”
Ben frowns. “Really? That was lucky.”
“No shit,” I grumble. “I need a couple of ibuprofen, a meal, and a hot shower, followed by a nap. I still have to go out again tonight.” I slump against the counter, resting my head on the cool marble.
“Nope, don’t stop, it will just be harder to get up.” Sage grabs my shoulders and drags me off the chair. I stumble slightly, and he steadies me.
“I just want a break. When is it going to let up?” I whine, feeling tears well in my eyes. I’ve been strong for so long, but I think I’m about to finally break.
“Aww, baby. It’s okay. I’m going to look after you.
After your little breaking and entering adventure tonight, Vienna’s going to make sure you’re pampered until you’re a squishy ball of mush, then this weekend, we’re going to party like its 1999.
By then, Lorenzo will be out of our hair, and there will be one less problem on our plate.
Everything will get better,” he promises, but I have trouble believing him.
“Ben, my man, did Suzy prepare what I asked for?”
Ben smiles and nods at a basket I hadn’t noticed sitting on the other counter near the sink.
“Yup, everything you asked for is in there. Go. I’ll tell the others you are resting after your ordeal if they ask, but I’m pretty sure Suzy is going to mother hen the shit out of them.
They’ll be so distracted, they won’t even notice the two of you are missing. ”
“But Gio will be back soon. I need to ask him if he knows about that tunnel,” I argue as Sage grabs my hand, takes the basket, and drags me toward the elevator.
“Fuck Gio. Ben, if he asks, tell him we are working tonight. Don’t give him any details. Just shrug and pretend ignorance of our whereabouts,” Sage instructs, and Ben gives him a jaunty salute, grinning like a loon.
Sage hits the button for the elevator, and the doors open. He scans his eye for the concealed level, and I feel it start to move.
“What are we doing?” I ask him, and he grins.
“We are having a picnic in my grow house. I’ll roll you a joint that will take away all your aches and pains and then give you an orgasm that will make you so mellow and relaxed, you’ll practically slide under the door of the warehouse we’re breaking into tonight.”
The doors open into the warehouse. We bypass the empty space and head toward the corridor that leads to his grow house.
“Where do you think the door to that tunnel is?” I ask him, and he points at a door across the large space.
“Dean called and told me where it was, and he said one of our guys was going to secure a bar across it for now so nobody can open it. We have one of our contractors coming in tomorrow to lock it down. You will be the only person who can open it. Not even Gio will be coded to it.”
I make a snap decision. “I’m not even going to tell Gio about it. I really don’t trust him anymore, and he’s distracted enough that it could put us and our operation in danger.”
Sage opens the door to his warehouse, and the skunk smell of marijuana plants hits my nose.
He inhales deeply and grins with pure joy as he leads me down a row of waist-high plants.
The lights are bright. He runs on a sixteen and eight growth cycle.
I installed solar panels on the roof of the mansion to counter the electricity bills.
He leads me down the back where there is row after row of mature plants, ready for harvest. Under the large bushes is a blanket with a bunch of cushions, surrounded by small electric tea lights.
“The team is picking this lot tomorrow, but I want you to see it in all its glory before they do.” He places the picnic basket down next to the blanket. “And I promised you a picnic. I’m not topping the plants, but I can at least play some music to accompany our dinner.”
He pulls out his phone and swipes at the screen. A serene, instrumental piece fills the space, and he does a small twirl before gesturing toward the blanket.
“You’re throne, my lady.”
I smile, some of the exhaustion seeping away in the face of his joy.
“It’s no Taylor Swift or the Weekend, but my plants seem to like it just as much,” he explains as I toe off my heels and lower myself onto the pile of cushions.
I groan as my aches and pains make themselves known.
His smile drops, and he holds up a finger.
“Give me a moment. I’m going to grab the right strain for you. We need something that is higher in CBD than THC so you get the pain relief, but retain the clarity you need for our nighttime escapades,” he tells me before disappearing in the direction of the drying room.
Sage knows more about each strain of marijuana that he grows than I ever will, and if I let him, he will ramble on for hours about each and every one of the properties. To be honest, it actually doesn’t sound too bad at the moment. It would take my mind off everything else.
It’s not long before he skips back toward me, waving a jar of dried flowers. The label on it reads, “AC/DC.”
I frown, pointing to it. “AC/DC? Like the band?”
He nods and drops down, opening the basket and pulling out an herb grinder and packet of papers. “Yeah, this one will be exactly what you need. It will take away the pain but leave you mentally alert and your reflexes firing.”
He places everything on the blanket in front of him before also pulling out a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.
He opens the bottle and pours me a glass, then passes it to me before he sets about preparing the joint.
I lean back against the pillows and watch, completely mesmerized by the care he takes, his calming ritual lulling me into a relaxed state.
I take a sip of the red wine. Full bodied and tart, it perks me up as he runs his tongue over the paper before sealing the cone and rolling the end into a point.
“Voilà!” He pulls a lighter out of his pocket and lights it, dragging deeply before blowing out the thick smoke. “Yup, this is going to be just what you need. Here, take this while I get our food ready.”
He passes it over, and I take it with my spare hand, putting it to my lips and taking my own deep drag of the skunky weed. I watch as he starts to unpack the picnic basket. He pulls out some foil wrapped packages, a couple of sealed bowls, and some utensils.
When he removes the lids, I see mac and cheese and what looks like a couple of small bowls of tomato soup.
He unwraps the foiled packages, and I smile when I see the grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sage had Suzy make all my favorite comfort foods.
How can I do anything but love him? He passes me one of the bowls of soup before spooning some mac and cheese onto a paper plate, then he sets a grilled cheese on it as well.
With a waiter-like flourish, he deposits the plate in front of me before picking up his own glass of wine and taking a large sip.
I smoke a little more of the joint before handing it to him.
Picking up my plate, I eat a few bites of the mac and cheese before dipping my grilled cheese into the bowl of soup.
My stomach rumbles as the food hits my taste buds, and we quietly devour the meal between us, passing the joint back and forth before Sage finally puts it out in one of the plant pots.
“This was perfect,” I tell him, feeling sleepy, relaxed, and pain free about half an hour later.
We’ve talked about nothing important, avoiding everything that happened today and the subject of my brother.
Instead, Sage has told me about his plans after he harvests this new batch and frees up some pots for a new crop.
He’s super excited about a new strain he’s developing.
Most of the details go over my head, but it’s nice not to have to think too hard about anything for a moment.
He puts away the remnants of our picnic until only the almost empty bottle of wine and both glasses remain. Sage pushes the basket away and tops off our glasses with the remaining liquid before that too is added to the picnic basket.
He crawls over to me and takes my glass, putting them both off to the side out of reach before he pushes me back, and I flop into the pile of cushions, all boneless and relaxed.